Showa Memorial Park

I cannot count how many times I have been to this park. It is difficult to find on Unilocal if you type in the correct name as I did — Showa Kinen Koen, rather than the Sho-​wakinenkouen. I am not sure where that came from. This park is so great for so many different reasons. First, if you get off at Nishi Tachikawa station, it is right there. As in you go up the stairs off the platform and the bridge takes you right to the entrance. You have to pay to get in, but the cost is nominal. Inside the park it is easy to get lost trying to figure out where you want to go. In summer they have a kids pool area which is an ice skating rink in the winter. The park has so many flowers in the spring and small fields of various flowers as well that you can walk through. Giant fields and small fields, miniture golf, BBQ area, a biking course, two disc golf courses, a Japanese garden that you pay extra to enter, a river, although is closer to a creek if anything. I have been to a freezbie contest for dogs, a disc golf competition, and a few other events that are held mostly in warmer months. However, the two best events are cherry blossom season and the fireworks festival. For cherry blossom season the park stays open later than usual and some of the cherry blossom trees are lit up with flood lights. There are so many trees in the park that you should be able to find your «own» area if you don’t like the large crowds in the more popular Everyone’s Field. The fireworks display is also a special day because the park stays open late. There are a lot of trees in the park, so you really have to know where the fireworks will be displayed in order to find the right seat. There is also an area just to the right of the park that does not require a fee entrance. Years ago they had freezbie football on Sunday mornings. There is always something to do and I think this is one of my favorite parks anywhere.